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Saturday, June 30, 2012
Nail Whitening Regimen including Bubble White Review
I thought I'd talk about my nail whitening regimen today since I've yet to discuss in depth. After swatching the Ulta Carnivale set yesterday my nails needed a refresher, so I'll tell you about the steps I personally take to clean them up a little bit.
I had been wearing just a base coat today, so I started by removing that. I purchased Bubble White, seen above, at Sally Beauty. It's a couple dollars a packet and if you're frugal you can try to use less and then seal it to get more than one use. For today, though, I used half a packet per hand.
The directions say to use warm, not hot, water and to place your hands in immediately for 5 minutes which I did. The powder bubbles once it hits water and then kind of fizzles a bit but it eventually stops shortly after. I've used it a couple of times and I can't complain about it. It does whiten, although not drastically.
I use a manicure bowl I got from Image Beauty for around a 1.50$ but you can use any container. Just make sure not to use more than 1/3 of a cup of water, as the directions state.
I certainly apologize for showing you my pre-whitened naked nails but we'll credit to science! My nails were a bit stained and ragged from swatching. I also have not done my whitening regimen in quite a while, so they needed it. Even though I use acetone and that cleans the surface, sometimes through the process of doing your nails underneath your nails get stained too (under the free edge). That's mostly the staining you see here. Usually removal can be messy and since it re-liquifies the polish, it tends to run and get everywhere.
This photo was taken after drying my hands from the Bubble White soak. There is still some staining, specifically underneath my nails so I do a couple things to help clean that up as well as the surface of my nails.
I get underneath a bit brighter I use a duller cuticle implement and Sally Hansen Cuticle Gel. I squeeze a little bit under each nail and gently "scrape" underneath, following the natural contour of my nails. I've heard that you shouldn't do this. I'm not aggressively scraping and poking and prodding, I'm just sort of grazing it. I think as long as you're gentle and take time not to stab yourself that not a lot of damage will be done. For me personally, using a scrubby brush and soap at the bathroom sink isn't always enough to clean underneath my nails to the degree I'd prefer. So I do this.
When I referred to a "duller" implement, I mean the one on the left. It has dull edges, not a sharp, crisp edge like the one on the right. I think an orange wood stick would be a good option as well since it's not sharp and possibly abrasive like the one on the right, which I believe is a Revlon brand tool. I just want to reiterate that I'm not pushing hard, digging underneath or being rough. It's a process that needs to be done gently so you don't hurt yourself or damage your nails aesthetically.
The last step I do to whiten my nails is to use a fine, like.. ultra fine, grit buffer on the surface of my nails. I tried looking to see where I got my current buffer but I'm not sure where. Either at Harmon or Sally but it's very fine, and when you touch it, it almost feels like it wouldn't do anything. It's super smooth. If you're going to buff regularly you need to make sure you don't take too much off. I passed over each nail about 3 times and that is it. And I pressed lightly.
The photo directly above is after all three steps (Bubble White, cleaning under the free edge & buffing) were complete. You can see a definite improvement from Before and After and the whole process only takes about 10 minutes. I hope this post was helpful if not at least informative!
I had been wearing just a base coat today, so I started by removing that. I purchased Bubble White, seen above, at Sally Beauty. It's a couple dollars a packet and if you're frugal you can try to use less and then seal it to get more than one use. For today, though, I used half a packet per hand.
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| Click to Enlarge |
The directions say to use warm, not hot, water and to place your hands in immediately for 5 minutes which I did. The powder bubbles once it hits water and then kind of fizzles a bit but it eventually stops shortly after. I've used it a couple of times and I can't complain about it. It does whiten, although not drastically.
I use a manicure bowl I got from Image Beauty for around a 1.50$ but you can use any container. Just make sure not to use more than 1/3 of a cup of water, as the directions state.
I certainly apologize for showing you my pre-whitened naked nails but we'll credit to science! My nails were a bit stained and ragged from swatching. I also have not done my whitening regimen in quite a while, so they needed it. Even though I use acetone and that cleans the surface, sometimes through the process of doing your nails underneath your nails get stained too (under the free edge). That's mostly the staining you see here. Usually removal can be messy and since it re-liquifies the polish, it tends to run and get everywhere.
This photo was taken after drying my hands from the Bubble White soak. There is still some staining, specifically underneath my nails so I do a couple things to help clean that up as well as the surface of my nails.
I get underneath a bit brighter I use a duller cuticle implement and Sally Hansen Cuticle Gel. I squeeze a little bit under each nail and gently "scrape" underneath, following the natural contour of my nails. I've heard that you shouldn't do this. I'm not aggressively scraping and poking and prodding, I'm just sort of grazing it. I think as long as you're gentle and take time not to stab yourself that not a lot of damage will be done. For me personally, using a scrubby brush and soap at the bathroom sink isn't always enough to clean underneath my nails to the degree I'd prefer. So I do this.
When I referred to a "duller" implement, I mean the one on the left. It has dull edges, not a sharp, crisp edge like the one on the right. I think an orange wood stick would be a good option as well since it's not sharp and possibly abrasive like the one on the right, which I believe is a Revlon brand tool. I just want to reiterate that I'm not pushing hard, digging underneath or being rough. It's a process that needs to be done gently so you don't hurt yourself or damage your nails aesthetically.
The last step I do to whiten my nails is to use a fine, like.. ultra fine, grit buffer on the surface of my nails. I tried looking to see where I got my current buffer but I'm not sure where. Either at Harmon or Sally but it's very fine, and when you touch it, it almost feels like it wouldn't do anything. It's super smooth. If you're going to buff regularly you need to make sure you don't take too much off. I passed over each nail about 3 times and that is it. And I pressed lightly.
The photo directly above is after all three steps (Bubble White, cleaning under the free edge & buffing) were complete. You can see a definite improvement from Before and After and the whole process only takes about 10 minutes. I hope this post was helpful if not at least informative!
Ulta Carnivale Four Piece Mini Collection Swatch & Review
This mini set from Ulta has a little something for everyone. Four different colors with four different finishes was an interesting selling point in this for me. Most mini sets have the same finish with various colors, I liked the variety in this one. My friend Melissa got this for me as a gift for passing my Praxis II (yay!) test a week or so ago. This was one of those items I pick up and put down time and time again so it was good to have someone pull the trigger for me. All swatches have CND Stickey for the base coat and Brucci Nail Dryer for the top coat.
I'll start with Cha Cha, which is a yellow creme. I was hoping this one wouldn't suck, but it's a streaky standard yellow 4-coater. It does look pretty, I like the shade but I don't like four coats.
This one was most difficult to apply and had the worst formula from the bunch. I've never had any really bad experiences with Ulta brand polish but yellows seem to be everyone's Achilles heel.
I Want Samba That, whose name is a pun that goes right over my head (I want some of that?), is a green grass fleck, very sparkly! The formula on this one was decent, 3 coats shown.
I recently swatched a Funky Fingers green grass fleck; I prefer the Ulta shade much more.
Masque-parade is a purple shimmer polish with pinkish-purple shimmers. The formula on this one was great! So smooth, very opaque. Two coats.
The shimmer, seen below, is super subtle and hidden, I had some difficulties capturing it.
It's the Rio Deal is almost a creme. It's got some jelly-like attributes to it, as well. It falls somewhere right in the middle as there was still some VNL even though I felt it was adequately covered. The formula for this one was pretty good too actually. Two thin coats.
It's a fun, very bright red that leans a bit neon. It's a bit of a all-in-one polish considering how many finishes it manages to have. It reminds me of tomatoes and while I'm not a big fan of reds, this one is certainly memorable.
The Ulta Carnivale Four Piece Mini Collection is available at Ulta for $7.99 - I'm pleasantly surprised with the outcome of the swatches except for the crappy yellow. It's such a pretty happy shade but the four coats is a deal breaker for me. Which is your favorite?
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| Cha Cha, I Want Samba That, Masque-parade, It's the Rio Deal |
I'll start with Cha Cha, which is a yellow creme. I was hoping this one wouldn't suck, but it's a streaky standard yellow 4-coater. It does look pretty, I like the shade but I don't like four coats.
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| "Natural" Light |
This one was most difficult to apply and had the worst formula from the bunch. I've never had any really bad experiences with Ulta brand polish but yellows seem to be everyone's Achilles heel.
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| "Natural" Light |
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| "Natural" Light |
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| "Natural" Light |
I recently swatched a Funky Fingers green grass fleck; I prefer the Ulta shade much more.
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| "Natural" Light |
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| "Natural" Light |
Masque-parade is a purple shimmer polish with pinkish-purple shimmers. The formula on this one was great! So smooth, very opaque. Two coats.
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| "Natural" Light |
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| "Natural" Light |
The shimmer, seen below, is super subtle and hidden, I had some difficulties capturing it.
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| "Natural" Light |
It's the Rio Deal is almost a creme. It's got some jelly-like attributes to it, as well. It falls somewhere right in the middle as there was still some VNL even though I felt it was adequately covered. The formula for this one was pretty good too actually. Two thin coats.
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| "Natural" Light |
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| "Natural" Light |
It's a fun, very bright red that leans a bit neon. It's a bit of a all-in-one polish considering how many finishes it manages to have. It reminds me of tomatoes and while I'm not a big fan of reds, this one is certainly memorable.
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| "Natural" Light |
Friday, June 29, 2012
Dear followers, link spam me please!
Please spam this post with your blog URLs! I'd love to look at your blogs and follow them as you've done for me. So many kind words and compliments are given via the comment section and I want to be able to return the kindness. Please post your blog link (regardless of its nature) and I'll check it out. I'm interested in all kinds!
Here is a picture of my kitty, Quiddle. Because no post seems right without a photo of some sort.
I really do appreciate your involvement in my blog, without you guys, it'd just be a diary, lol!
Here is a picture of my kitty, Quiddle. Because no post seems right without a photo of some sort.
I really do appreciate your involvement in my blog, without you guys, it'd just be a diary, lol!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Holographic Accent Nail Mani (Layla & Hits)
I was looking forward to writing this post all day! I wore this mani for two days and it still is beautiful. That never happens, uh, ever. I got Layla Flash Black in a swap with my friend Melissa and Hits Apolo from Llarowe's 49% off sale. They're such a cute couple.
This is two coats of Hits Apolo and two coats of Layla Flash Black over the Jessica Hologram Base Coat. I sealed these off with NYC Grand Central Station.
I took these photos after an 8 hour shift at the daycare and after my shower (hair washing included). No chips! I was not expecting such awesome wear-time.
Both had really nice formulas, Apolo was a little bit runnier, but not in a bad way - it just made it easy for thin coats. Both applied so nicely and wore so well. They were shiny and sparkly and holo-y! As with most holos, they both dried really fast.
I am so happy to have these in my collection! I want to play with more holos really soon :D
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| "Natural Light" |
This is two coats of Hits Apolo and two coats of Layla Flash Black over the Jessica Hologram Base Coat. I sealed these off with NYC Grand Central Station.
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| Flash |
I took these photos after an 8 hour shift at the daycare and after my shower (hair washing included). No chips! I was not expecting such awesome wear-time.
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| "Natural Light" |
Both had really nice formulas, Apolo was a little bit runnier, but not in a bad way - it just made it easy for thin coats. Both applied so nicely and wore so well. They were shiny and sparkly and holo-y! As with most holos, they both dried really fast.
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| Flash |
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| "Natural Light" |
Have you entered my 300th post giveaway yet?
ENDS THIS FRIDAY!
ENDS THIS FRIDAY!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Smitten Polish - Pink Lemonade
I am soooooooooooooooooooooooo in love with this color. Smitten Polish hit another home run with this one, I'm really just blown away and very happy to own such lovely polishes.
This is three thin coats of Pink Lemonade over Orly Bonder and sealed with OtD. The coats dried super fast and very smooth - this is not a hungry glitter.
What I found odd is that the yellow base is pretty close to my actually skin color. In my room, the lighting is pretty crappy so it almost looks like mannequin hands.
Pink Lemonade is along the same lines of Mint Chip. This one has the same types of glitter except they're pink, and a yellow base instead of green. I am really surprised by how well the yellow built. It's a sheer yellow and it's pretty damn opaque at three thin coats. And just like Mint Chip, FANTASTIC formula and application!
If you're interested in Smitten Polishes you can find out lots of info about them from the creator's blog here: Noelie's Nails and you can buy them here: Smitten Polish. Restock times, prices and other color information is available within those two links.
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| "Natural" Light |
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| "Natural" Light |
What I found odd is that the yellow base is pretty close to my actually skin color. In my room, the lighting is pretty crappy so it almost looks like mannequin hands.
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| "Natural" Light |
Pink Lemonade is along the same lines of Mint Chip. This one has the same types of glitter except they're pink, and a yellow base instead of green. I am really surprised by how well the yellow built. It's a sheer yellow and it's pretty damn opaque at three thin coats. And just like Mint Chip, FANTASTIC formula and application!
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| Macro Bottle Shot |
Have you entered my 300th post giveaway yet?
It ends in 4 days!
It ends in 4 days!
Smitten Polish - Mint Chip
I am so excited to show you guys this polish as well as speak a little about Smitten Polish! I've been super hesitant about most indie brands as they're typically chunky glitters. I've already gotten rid of all my Lynnderellas as they chip and I've been purging most of my chunky glitters as of lately. I thought that sparse glitter in a milky base may not behave a like "glitter" at all, and I was pleasantly surprised to be right!
This is 3 thin coats of Mint Chip over Orly Bonder and sealed with Out the door.
Mint Chip has tiny itty bitty shiny brown glitter as well as small hex glitter in the same color in a light minty green base. It applied BEAUTIFULLY! The formula is amazing, really. It also wore really well on me. I had one small chip after 8 hours of daycare work, which is a lot of hand washing. Usually glitters at work don't last past an hour without sheeting off. This is groundbreaking for me, and I know its due to Noelie's amazing polish!
It really does look like the ice cream. I know a lot of people dislike that particular flavor but it's not bad actually, especially in a milkshake.. nom.
I am absolutely thrilled to have Smitten Polishes in my collection, I have another which I anticipate blogging soon, it's just as wonderful as this! If you're interested in Smitten Polishes you can find out lots of info about them from the creator's blog here: Noelie's Nails and you can buy them here: Smitten Polish. Restock times, prices and other color information is available within those two links.
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| "Natural" Light |
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| "Natural" Light |
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| "Natural" Light |
Mint Chip has tiny itty bitty shiny brown glitter as well as small hex glitter in the same color in a light minty green base. It applied BEAUTIFULLY! The formula is amazing, really. It also wore really well on me. I had one small chip after 8 hours of daycare work, which is a lot of hand washing. Usually glitters at work don't last past an hour without sheeting off. This is groundbreaking for me, and I know its due to Noelie's amazing polish!
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| Source |
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| "Natural" Light |
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| Macro Bottle Shot |
Saturday, June 23, 2012
A note on my 300th Post Giveaway
I've had to decline a bunch of comments that were being posted as entries. That isn't how you enter. The blog post has instructions on how to do it. Nearly 600 entries have been made correctly, so this announcement isn't for most of you guys. But! If any loyal readers incorrectly entered, please CLICK HERE to re-enter properly to get the chance to win you deserve (=
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Verity Deep Violet Jelly Sandwich
I just finally got a bottle of Verity Deep Violet from Amazon. I had no idea what I was missing! It's the most perfect jelly, I died. I made a jelly sandwich with China Glaze Techno. I couldn't stop looking at my nails all day.
I did one coat of Orly Bonder, two coats of Deep Violet, one coat of Techno, one coat of Deep Violet and sealed it with Out the Door.
I haven't loved a mani like this in so long. It looks like the glitter is swimming around on your nail!
Verity has PERFECT application, the most incredible formula and just is lovely. I'm in love. I can't wait to see what else comes out of this bottle when I sandwich it with other glitters.
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| "Natural" Light |
I did one coat of Orly Bonder, two coats of Deep Violet, one coat of Techno, one coat of Deep Violet and sealed it with Out the Door.
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| "Natural" Light |
I haven't loved a mani like this in so long. It looks like the glitter is swimming around on your nail!
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| "Natural" Light |
Verity has PERFECT application, the most incredible formula and just is lovely. I'm in love. I can't wait to see what else comes out of this bottle when I sandwich it with other glitters.
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| "Natural" Light |
Have you entered my 300th post giveaway yet?
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Lynnderella - Matter of the Heart
When I first got this polish I was so excited about it: a milky pink glitter with hearts! I've struggled with finding a suitable base for this polish. It doesn't match any of my other pinks closely enough, so you can see a strange color difference when I tried to use a pink base. It's too tinted to use over white, unless you like having that many coats of polish on - which I don't, otherwise it peels too easily. I finally had some better luck by wearing it by itself, albeit four coats.
It was four thin coats though, so it wasn't too bad. I am fully aware that some of the chunky glitter indie polishes we see need some degree of skill to apply but I'm not sure how to make the base less streaky. Maybe it needed to be shaken up a little bit more? From a distance it looks 100% fine but I, of course, analyze my nails up close so any flaws, even minor, stand out.
Without fishing for them, I got two hearts randomly on my pinky and thumb. It drives me nuts trying to fish for glitter so it was nice to have two come out on their own without any sort of fussing. I've had this bottle a few months and the glitter lies very flat; I didn't need Glitter Tamer or Gelous or anything to smooth this one out.
The base color reminds me of strawberry milk. But anyways, that is the only gripe with this one. The base color is finicky, and streaky on its own. But the glitter is nice.
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| "Natural" Light |
It was four thin coats though, so it wasn't too bad. I am fully aware that some of the chunky glitter indie polishes we see need some degree of skill to apply but I'm not sure how to make the base less streaky. Maybe it needed to be shaken up a little bit more? From a distance it looks 100% fine but I, of course, analyze my nails up close so any flaws, even minor, stand out.
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| "Natural" Light |
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| "Natural" Light |
Without fishing for them, I got two hearts randomly on my pinky and thumb. It drives me nuts trying to fish for glitter so it was nice to have two come out on their own without any sort of fussing. I've had this bottle a few months and the glitter lies very flat; I didn't need Glitter Tamer or Gelous or anything to smooth this one out.
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| "Natural" Light |
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| "Natural" Light |
Have you entered my 300th post giveaway yet?
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